Ben
Askren’s third Bellator welterweight title defense will move
forward on schedule, as both the champion and challenger Karl
Amoussou hit their contracted weights at Wednesday’s Bellator
86 weigh-ins.

Askren (Pictured) tipped the scales at 169.8 pounds, while Amoussou
checked in at 167.4. Bellator 86 takes place Thursday at Winstar
World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. In addition to the welterweight
title headliner, the evening’s main draw will also see
ex-Strikeforce king Muhammed
Lawal (205) return to action against Polish talent Przemyslaw
Mysiala (205.6) in the opening round of Bellator’s Season 8
light heavyweight tournament.

Askren, 28, has yet to taste defeat in his MMA career, posting
seven straight wins inside the Bellator cage. A two-time NCAA
Division I national champion wrestler, “Funky” captured the
Bellator welterweight title from Lyman Good
after winning the Season 2 tournament in 2010. The champion has
since defended his crown twice, narrowly outpointing Jay Hieron in
2011 before dominating Lima last April at Bellator 64.

Amoussou, meanwhile, earned his title shot by topping the Season 6
tournament field, finishing Bryan Baker
with an inverted heel hook at Bellator 72 last July. The triumph
served as the Frenchman’s fourth straight victory after falling via
split decision to Sam Alvey in
his 2011 Bellator debut. The former middleweight holds nine of his
16 victories via submission and has been stopped just once in 22
career bouts.